One thing I've noticed for a lot of supernatural type boards is that Race really matters. What you were born as pretty much sets you as you are (outside of being transformed into another race in Vampire and Werewolf boards).

Magic, too, for a majority of boards (excluding medieval, usually) is something you either have or you don't, rather than a skill you learn.

While it opens some themes (race relations, grudges, responsibility of the superior over the inferior) it closes others (the ethics and boundaries of science/magic, the sacrifice of the self, etc.).

So the question I'm asking is this; why is this setup so prevalent? Ease of use? Popularity? Simplicity?

Because that's the way it's always been? I don't know. Seems that since forever, certain "races" have had certain traits or abilities that they were extra good at, or only they possessed. In a fantasy setting, it makes sense. At least to me.

As for "sets you as you are" as far as personality goes... that would be more along the lines of culture, which is true in fantasy and real life. People from different cultures tend act and think differently. And not always does race play a part in this.

So... Hmm. I don't think it's ease of use, simplicity or popularity. At least not for me. It just simply makes sense, and is, generally speaking, how things have always been done. And I don't see that as a bad thing, really.

I think it all depends on the creator of the board itself. Some boards like my own have a mixture of both. Certain races of characters you can become from a ritual or learned skill. Magic is something you learn and study. The more you know the greater your power. Other races such as a psychic are born that way.

If I was going to create a fantasy board from scratch or something dealing with the supernatural that wasn't canon based, I would prefer for characters to be able to grow in their skill and some be able to learn one.

As to why it is used more often than not, if you look at most of the literature that has come out in the past few years... comic/tv show/movie/books they all seem to be set in the born into a certain caste and it is a comment on the times. As an admin, it is easier than having to monitor someone's progress or have to get their new "powers" approved each time they want to gain one. It also keeps character counts even from the get-go.

So, I'm seeing tradition and ease of use to be some reasons? That would make sense. Some admin's I've talked to didn't really thing about the origin thing before making it all race based. It was just how all the other boards have done it. And It does cut down on paperwork and thinking.

I sort of side with Sadiekins on this, having a preference for multiple origins. Having, for instance, a guy with a magic weapon running around does not invalidate any race issues or other themes that other characters are going through. And movies like Iron Man have proven that it can be pulled off in an interesting way. You can have access to more themes and plot hooks with multiple origins as well.

Any other thoughts?

I found that its also very gender specific as well. I mean, If you go to any 'fantasy' role play, you will find that the girl antho's are mainly cats, and the boys are wolfs.I would love to see a girl antho wolf, that would shake things up a bit...

"Magic, too, for a majority of boards (excluding medieval, usually) is something you either have or you don't, rather than a skill you learn."

People like the idea of innate, inborn magic it is something to be had or developed and not acquired. So in this sense, it seems to me, that someone is born with a magical skill and it is developed over a long period of time. However, the problem most people seem to have with there characters is that we see their skill when it is fully developed and not in its infancy.

My board used to encourage members to list their characters' powers on their profiles when joining, so in a way it promoted being born with a skill. We quickly moved away from that. Although no definite declaration was made one way or the other, I allowed characters to develop powers fairly freely, just as long as they avoided becoming god characters.

My character Kental is probably the best example the site had, as her powers changed the most. She had a demon and a dragon spirit sharing her mind. At one point, she pushed the dragon spirit out and lost the powers that spirit gave her. Later, she was killed and reborn and had gained a new power. Other characters also gained powers through the roleplay, including some race-related powers in the case of characters who were turned into vampires. The site did state that some races were better at particular types of magic than others- for example, gnomes made the best illusionists and most demons had fire magic- but it did not force characters of those races to know any particular forms of magic and did not prevent other races from having the abilities.